1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to deletion of information in computer systems, and more specifically to the programmable removal of sensitive information from computing systems.
2. Background Information
Computing systems security is becoming increasingly more important. It is not uncommon for computing systems such as computers, servers, workstations, etc. to contain sensitive information related to a corporation or entity""s business, personnel, finances, or technology. In government or military computing systems, the sensitive information may related to other data, for example, strategic plans, troop movements, intelligence data, etc. A problem arises when a hostile entity gains access to the computing system and, therefore, possibly access to sensitive information. Further, computing systems may become obsolete and, therefore, it may be desired to give away, or use for other purposes the computing systems. In these situations, it may be necessary to remove all sensitive information that may reside on each computing system.
Currently, systems and methods that provide sensitive information removal generally fall into one of two categories. In the first category, the existing operating system on the computing system coexists with the facility used to remove sensitive information. In the second category, the facility that performs the removal of sensitive information contains its own operating system. The second category is problematic in that no selectivity in the type of information to be deleted is provided. These type facilities are designed for a singular purpose only and are limited in that they are not configurable.
Moreover, current systems offer limited flexibility in selection of deleting or removing sensitive information from computing systems. In the case of a hostile entity, it is desired that an operator of a computing system, once detecting that a hostile entity may have gained access, may desire to immediately initiate removable of all sensitive information from the computing system. Further, it may also be desired to provide automatic initiation of removal of sensitive information without operator intervention. Current systems fail to provide these programmable options.
Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods for removal of sensitive information from computing systems that allows programmability, immediate initiation of removal, automatic initiation of removal of information, as well as bypass protection against hostile entities attempting to circumvent the sensitive information removal process.
The present invention is directed to a method for programmable removal of information from a computing system that includes: selecting one or more information removal options, where the selecting is performed on a computing device; generating a purge script file based on the selected information removal options; and initiating a purge of information from one or more computing systems, where the purge is performed by execution of the purge script file.
The purge of information may be initiated upon selection of one or more hotkeys.
The purge of information may be initiated automatically when a preselected number of unsuccessful logon attempts to the computing system occurs. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a plurality of purge script files may be generated where each generated purge script file is based on different preselected information removal options. One of the plurality of purge script files may be selected where the initiating of the purge of information is performed by execution of the selected one of the plurality of purge script files.
Moreover, the present invention is directed to an article comprising a storage medium having instructions stored therein, where the instructions when executed cause a computing device to perform: receiving selections for one or more information removal options; generating a purge script file based on the selected information removal options; and initiating a purge of information from at least one computing system, where the purge is performed by execution of the purge script file.
The instructions when executed may cause a computing device to perform initiating the purge of information upon detecting the selection of one or more hotkeys. The instructions when executed may cause a computing device to perform detecting a preselected number of unsuccessful logon attempts to the computing system, and automatically initiating the purge of information after the detecting. The instructions when executed may cause a computing device to perform generating a plurality purge script files, where each generated purge script file is based on different preselected information removal options. The instructions when executed may cause a computing device to perform receiving a selection of one of the plurality of purge script files, where the initiating of the purge of information is performed by execution of the selected one of the plurality of purge script files.
The present invention is also directed to a system for programmable removal of information that includes: one or more processing devices; one or more storage devices operably connected to at least one processing device; and one or more data entry devices operably connected to at least one processing device. One or more information removal options may be selected using the data entry device(s). At least one processing device generates a purge script file based on the selected information removal options and initiates a purge of information from at least one storage device by executing the purge script file. One processing device may perform the generating and executing to purge information on at least one storage device operably connected to a second processing device.